Iridescent Dreams
by Torey Taylor
Summary: A collection of drabbles based on Final Fantasy 7. I plan on writing drabbles (some shorter, some longer) about all the characters and as many elements of the game that I can, so please keep checking back for updates.
1. Sliver of Hope

The slums of Midgar are a dreadful place, full of decay and filth, dilapidated buildings and piles of debris marking the land, its people wrought with trepidation and filled with resentment for the rich men and women who walk above them, breathing the fresh air and feeling the warmth on their faces.

But there is one girl, a beacon of hope, always with a luminous smile and beautiful, buoyant eyes, who wonders the slums selling her almost impossible wares. A flower girl. Such a rarity to see flowers down here, but for her, they bloom. Because of her courage, and her optimism, she can help them grow.

The End


	2. Last Breath

She was essentially blind now, her eyes stinging with dust, her nose and mouth clogged. She couldn't breathe, partly because of her enclosed surroundings at the bottom of the ruined Sector 7 slums, and partly because of the sharp pain coursing through her chest like bolts of electricity. Her legs felt numb, as if they were no longer a part of her body. She couldn't move her feet.

"W-wedge… Big…" She coughed, and as she did the pain in her chest reached a pinnacle and she cried out. "Biggs…"

She couldn't die like this. Not alone. Tears ran down her cheeks, hot and oddly comforting.

"Jess…ie… Jessie… I'm h…here…"

Wedge! He was here.

"Jessie…!"

Biggs, too! She knew she was going to die, but now she felt a small comfort that she would not have to die alone. She held out a hand that felt as heavy as iron and felt elation and bliss as another hand took hers and held on to it. She outstretched her other hand too, hoping that Biggs still had the strength to hold on. Astonishingly, another hand latched on to hers and squeezed it tightly.

"We did… this… for the good of… the… planet," she murmured between ragged breaths.

"For the… planet," chimed Biggs.

"For our… friends," finished Wedge.

As she drifted off into an eternal slumber, the words of her friends and the warmth of their presences comforted her. She went to sleep with her face upturned into a smile.

The End


	3. Once a Soldier

Was I always so cold-hearted? I wondered as I gazed at the group. Everyone was sat round a big campfire, their faces lit up not only by dancing flames, but also their smiles, and even their eyes. There was Yuffie and Tifa, chit-chatting fast and furiously, their arms and hands waving around excitedly. Barret was silent and looking into the night sky, but his eyes were dreamy and his features relaxed.

I looked at Vincent and realised that I was not alone. Looking at him was like looking at my own reflection. Such a sad and lonely person. Did he choose to be that way, the same way I chose to be? I could change if I wanted to. I can't blame SOLDIER for everything. Perhaps I'm cold-hearted because I'm afraid; afraid of making new friends, for new friends can easily be lost.

It's so easy to base your insecurities on something so trivial. I could change if I wanted to. And I really wanted to. I wanted to be like Aeris, so vibrant and care-free. Or like Tifa, strong and fearless but fun-loving too. But once a soldier, always a soldier. It changes a person. It builds a barrier of ice around you, so thick that only the strongest flame of vivacity would be able to melt it.

I could change. My other self, the happy, bubbly person that no one ever knew about, was there, dancing like a flame in my heart, waiting to be rekindled. I looked over at Vincent and saw a sombre face stare back at me. I could change my life here, but I could also change his. I stood up, brushed myself off, and walked towards him.

The End.


	4. Lifestream

Lilia had heard stories about the Lifestream. She had seen it in documentaries and on the News. It was a beautiful thing, but it was also haunting. There were plenty of stories to tell. Some had witnessed it first-hand. After all, on the island of Mideel, springs of Mako reach the surface and pool on the ground, glistening lakes of aquamarine. She had never been to Mideel. She could never afford to go. A girl of the slums, she was destined to live out the rest of her life in the grime and gloom.

She did not expect her life to be short-lived. She did not intend to meet the gushing streams of Mako energy at the tender age of seventeen. Even though she was poor and dirty, became an orphan at six and had little prospects, a glimmer of hope shone within her heart, and she wanted to live. But sometimes, that choice is not yours to make.

She was lying on the floor, covered in her own blood. She could hear people screaming and sobbing. Voices were crying out for loved ones. Desperate hands were all around her, scraping through the rubble, longing to find their nearest and dearest. She tried calling out, but couldn't. Who would want to save her anyway? She wasn't anyone's loved one. Not anymore.

Her voice was barely a whisper. Her chest was hurting and her eyes stung with tears. She couldn't breathe. When she closed her eyes and felt all the pain ebbing away, and all the voices fade into nothing, she knew she was near the end.

The dying girl was comforted by a warm, gentle light and then the soft, beautiful voice of her mother. A sudden gush of emotions swept through her, and seemed to lift her from her dark surroundings, into another realm, a beautiful world full of happy memories and the spirits of those who were pure.

"Do not be afraid, Lilia" she told her. "I'll always be here for you."

She could remember her mother telling her that when she was a small child. It was one of the last things she told her before she died.

"Hope is borne out of love," her mother whispered.

People always said that the feeling of hope in one's heart is a part of the Lifestream that runs through your veins. Lilia had never believed in it; until now.

"I love you, Lilia," her mother said.

"I love you too, mother," she replied, a tear rolling down her cheek.

She relaxed her arms and legs, letting them be taken by the comforting currents, and drifted through the Lifestream, finally at peace.

The End


End file.
